topic Using the same LUN to a different server in Disk Enclosures

Using the same LUN to a different server

Eida_1 — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:01:25 GMT

Hi,
I just wanted to know to have a LUN to be presented on a different server.

Server A as drive V
Server B as Drive W.

would there be any problem with this setting?

FYI, I'm using HP StorageWorks EVA4400 2C2D

Re: Using the same LUN to a different server

Eida_1 — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 07:06:16 GMT

Sorry, my question was not clear. Let me rephrase.

I just wanted to know if a Logical drive in SAN can be presented on a different server.

E.g
Server A as drive V
Server B as Drive W.

would there be any problem with this setting?

FYI, I'm using HP StorageWorks EVA4400 2C2D

Re: Using the same LUN to a different server

Torsten. — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 08:02:04 GMT

This is waht each cluster usually does.

But you need to have a cluster aware filesystem on the LUN, otherwise you can easily corrupt your data!

Re: Using the same LUN to a different server

Rob Leadbeater — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 13:49:36 GMT

Just to emphasise what Torsten says, presenting a LUN to more than server from the EVA is straightforward.

However you *must* be running some form of clustering software on your two servers.

If you don't and Server B tries to mount the Drive when it's already mounted on Server A, you *will* corrupt the file system.

Regards,

Rob

Re: Using the same LUN to a different server

Emil Velez — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:36:32 GMT

works fine if the lun is part of a polyserve clustered file system for windows otherwise no way to use a lun except in a failover mode with microsoft clustering.

Re: Using the same LUN to a different server

Steven Clementi — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 01:47:48 GMT

If you don;t need direct access to the lun on the second server and don;t mind reading/writing over the network connections...

You could present the lun to server 1, create a share on that server, map the share to a drive letter on the second server.

You can not otherwise do this unless you have a clustered file system of some sorts... Polyserve, Veritas, etc.

Even with a Windows Cluster, you can not access the same disk from multiple servers at the same time.

How are you looking to utilize the LUN?

Steven